Director of Development (Lead Advancement Officer)

Under the supervision of the UMFA's Marcia & John Price Executive Director and the Senior Executive Director of Advancement in University Advancement, the Lead Advancement Officer (Director of Development) leads fundraising strategies and activities at the UMFA, particularly in soliciting major gifts. This role involves establishing and nurturing relationships with prospects and donors to support initiatives critical to the UMFA.

About the role

The Director of Development will identify and manage an appropriately-sized portfolio of predominantly major gift prospects capable of making gifts of $50,000 and greater. The role will work closely with the UMFA's Executive Director to identify, cultivate, and solicit major gifts utilizing strategic prospect and donor engagement plans, while collaborating with University Advancement staff and others to align fundraising efforts. By expanding the Museum's donor base and building upon effective engagement pipelines, this position will contribute to the success of UMFA's mission and initiatives.

The Director of Development serves as a key member of the Museum's senior management team and manages a fundraising team of three at the UMFA. The Development Specialist will oversee administrative support for the Museum's Development team and frontline fundraisers, donor relations, and donor recognition/stewardship.

Responsibilities

• Plans and implements strategies and goals to increase fundraising effectiveness, overseeing major gifts; local and national corporate and foundation grants and sponsorships; annual giving including an annual fundraising event/gala; planned giving and endowment strategies; and participates in and collaborates with University Advancement in the University's comprehensive campaign.
• Oversees strategic, Museum-wide efforts in major donor cultivation and stewardship.
• Responsible for soliciting major gifts in coordination and partnership with the Executive Director, University Advancement, and the Museum's Board of Directors.
• Tracks engagement and solicitation progress in the Unite prospect management database ensuring the capture of updated and accurate information.
• Utilizes fundamentally sound fundraising practices to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major gift prospects for the UMFA throughout the development cycle.
• Establishes and effectively manages relationships with a goal portfolio of ~75 major gift prospects and donors in Unite capable of making gifts from $25,000 - $1M.
• Expands the donor base and creates effective engagement pipelines for both new and existing major gift prospects and donors.
• Prepares donor briefings, proposals, and follow-up communications to support solicitation and stewardship efforts in a timely and professional manner.
• Sets and administers the Development Department's annual budget.
• Works in concert with the Executive Director and University Advancement to set and pursue fundraising goals in support of the Museum's operations.
• Supervises, motivates, and provides leadership to a team of three development staff at the Museum.
• Ensures that predetermined fundraising goals and performance metrics are met.
• Collaborates and communicates with fundraising colleagues in University Advancement and across the University.
• Serves as a key member of the Museum's senior management team.
• Represents the Museum with the Lead Advancement Officer cohort, and to Central Advancement units.
• Completes other duties assigned by the UMFA Executive Director or the Senior Executive Director of Advancement (SEDOA) or designees.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, communication, public relations, art history, education, humanities, or a related area.
• 8 years of directly related work experience in philanthropy; or a master's degree (or equivalency) + 6 years of directly related work experience in philanthropy. (1 year of higher education can be substituted for 1 year of directly related work experience.)
• Knowledge and familiarity with the visual or performing arts, museums, or other cultural organizations to work well with Museum staff and donor community.
• Planning, organization, execution, and accountability skills to meet predetermined fundraising performance goals and metrics.
• Strong human relations and excellent communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team.
• High ethical standards, discretion, and confidentiality in working with donor information.

Preferences

• Demonstrated success in major gift fundraising, ideally for an arts and culture organization.
• Experience with CRM-style database.
• Experience in grant and proposal writing, public speaking, and an understanding of the University of Utah's fundraising practices and policies.
• Familiarity with Utah's philanthropic community and knowledge of the visual arts, the larger art world, and art museums.
• Experience with the planning and implementation of large-scale, elegant special events, parties, and galas, and effectively managing volunteers.
• Demonstrated ability to work well independently and on a team, showing respect for diverse constituencies within and outside of the UMFA.
• Ability to engender trust and establish actionable consensus among these constituencies.
• Strong organizational skills, a calm demeanor, and a great sense of humor.
• Team player with a positive attitude who will immerse themselves within the Utah arts, culture, and higher education community and connect prospects and donors to the mission of UMFA and the University.
• Demonstrated critical thinking skills, sound reasoning, and great personal and professional integrity.

Special Instructions

Include in your cover letter a statement about your beliefs regarding the impact of visual arts and museums, each as a public good.

Pay

$70,000 to $115,000 per year

Schedule

Full-time. Typically, Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 5:00pm, with appointments, including travel, outside of those hours as needed. Occasional evenings and weekends due to donor engagement and Museum events.